Churchill dentures are snapped up for £15,200

A set of false teeth designed and custom-built for Sir Winston Churchill have been sold at auction for £15,200.

The teeth - mounted on a gold structure - were constructed by dentist Derek Cudlipp and designed to preserve Churchill's natural lisp.

One of only three sets ever made, the dentures had been owned by the son of the dental technician, until the sale where they were expected to fetch £5,000.

But nine bidders all wanted to get their teeth into the odd piece of World War II memorabilia and the drove the price up to £15,200 at the Keys Auctions sale.

Andrew Bullock, the valuer at Keys Auctioneers, who handled the sale said: "In the last few months our reputation for selling Churchilliana has seen us sell the great man’s ashtray and his half-smoked cigar – but I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams that we would end up auctioning his false teeth.

"It is difficult to imagine topping that….unless of course Churchill’s chiropodist has hidden some treasures away in a drawer somewhere."